Route pair
Removals from Erith to Spain
A long road move: out of DA8, across the Channel, the length of France, and down whichever Spanish coast you are heading for. Full loads or shared space, with the Spanish documentation prepared from the inventory we build in Erith.
Spain has taken people from this part of south-east London for two generations, and the flow has not stopped so much as changed shape. The retire-to-a-villa move is still there, but it now sits alongside younger families moving for work and people splitting the year between a place here and an apartment there.
The route, and why it is long
Out of Erith on the A2 or the M25, across Kent, through the tunnel or on the Dover ferry, then France end to end. Vehicles bound for Catalonia and the east coast cross at La Jonquera on the Mediterranean side; those heading for Madrid, the south and the west usually run via Bordeaux and Irún on the Atlantic side.
After the border it is the AP-7 down the Mediterranean coast for Valencia, Alicante and Murcia, or the A-4 and A-45 through Madrid and Córdoba for Málaga and the Costa del Sol. It is a serious drive, done under tachograph rules, and the schedule reflects that honestly.
Where deliveries go
- Costa Blanca — Alicante, Torrevieja, Jávea, Dénia, Altea
- Murcia and the Costa Cálida — Mar Menor, Mazarrón, Águilas
- Andalucía — Málaga, Marbella, Nerja, the Axarquía, inland to Granada
- Valencia and the interior — the city and the villages behind it
- Catalonia — Barcelona, the Costa Brava, Tarragona
- The Balearics — Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza, via a mainland ferry leg
Access at the far end
Two things come up constantly: lifts and old towns. Spanish apartment lifts are frequently smaller than British ones and will not take a wardrobe or a three-seat sofa, which puts the stairs in charge of the crew size. And historic centres across Andalucía, Murcia and inland Valencia have streets no wider than the passages behind Erith High Street, often with timed vehicle restrictions.
We ask for photographs of the street, the entrance and the lift before the vehicle leaves here. It takes you five minutes and prevents the kind of delivery day that costs a day.
Customs and Spanish paperwork
A household move to Spain qualifies for relief on personal effects, but the claim has to be made properly and the documents have to line up. That means your NIE, evidence you have deregistered in the UK, evidence you are registering in Spain, and a full valued inventory.
The sequence matters. We set it out at the start of the job so nothing ends up waiting on a certificate that could have been applied for two months earlier.
Full load or shared space
On a route this long the difference is real. Your own vehicle goes when you say and arrives on a known day. Shared space costs less and asks for flexibility on the window instead. For a second home, shared space is almost always right; for a family with school dates, it is not.
Why people go
Weather is the easy answer and not the whole one. What people actually talk about is the cost of living, an outdoor life that lasts most of the year, and — for the retired — a healthcare arrangement worked out properly in advance. The moves that go well are the ones where somebody has spent a winter there first.
Starting
Send both addresses, rough dates, a sense of the volume, and whether the delivery date is fixed. We will survey and quote in writing. See European removals for how the options compare, Portugal for the same road further on.
Route detail
Moving to Spain — questions
How does a move to Spain travel?
By road throughout. Out of Erith, across the Channel, the length of France, over the border at Irún or La Jonquera, then onto the Spanish network. Nothing goes by sea unless you are heading for the islands.
What about the Balearics or the Canaries?
The Balearics take a ferry leg from the mainland and are routine. The Canaries are a different job — sea freight and separate paperwork — and worth treating as its own conversation from the start.
Is shared space common on this route?
Very. Spain is a long run, so sharing a vehicle makes a real difference on a modest load. The trade-off is a delivery window rather than a named day, which suits a second home far better than a fixed completion.
What does Spanish customs need?
Your NIE, evidence you have deregistered in the UK and are registering in Spain — the empadronamiento at the new address is usually part of it — and a full valued inventory. The order those are obtained in matters and catches people out.
Can a lorry get into a Spanish old town?
Sometimes not. Historic centres in Andalucía and inland Valencia are as tight as anything in London, often with timed access restrictions. We check before the vehicle leaves here.
Do you deliver to flats with no lift?
Routinely, especially on the Costa Blanca. It has to be known in advance so the crew at the far end is the right size. An unexpected fourth floor is the commonest cause of a bad delivery day.
Next step
Moving from Erith to Spain?
Send the two addresses, your rough dates and a sense of the volume. We will set out the route, the options and the paperwork.